Fried Chicken and Waffles

It’s the first night of Spring Break and I want to make something special to celebrate. I have a feeling chicken and waffles might not have been what you first thought of. While I’ve only made fried chicken and waffles a couple times, it is a specialty from our years living in the south and each experience has been ooohhh, soooo good! This particular recipe is brand new today and we were immensely pleased with the results.

1 cup heavy cream
1 tbls. Cholula hot sauce
1 tbls. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 cloves minced garlic
1 – 1 1/2 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
vegetable oil

In a medium bowl, whisk cream, hot sauce, sugar, salt, paprika and garlic. Rinse and pat dry chicken. Add chicken to the marinade. Rest for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350º. In a separate, shallow bowl, add the flour, salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Heat oil in cast iron frying pan over medium high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and roll in flour mixture. Shake off any excess before adding each piece to the hot oil skillet. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Finish the final 5-10 minutes by placing the frying pan in the oven. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn. The time will depend on how thick your tenderloins are.

Meanwhile, make the waffles.

Yes, you can make a recipe from scratch, but I rarely do for pancakes and waffles. The box mixes are just too easy especially since it’s usually just the two of us and I don’t need a dozen waffles. (Who am I kidding? I used the box mixes when the kids were home too!) I opened a new box, one I hadn’t even tried before and we were not disappointed. I encourage you to check out Lehi Roller Mills all natural whole wheat buttermilk pancake mix.

To serve, I plated a Belgian waffle, added a small piece of butter in the center and two or three fried chicken tenderloins, and finally, topped it off with a small drizzle of organic maple syrup. I would encourage your favorite side salad to finish off your meal.

The moist chicken has a tiny kick with the hot sauce, but tempered by an equally tiny touch of maple sweetness. Oh my goodness, this will be on the recurring menu list! I think you’re gonna like it…

Blessings,
Tina